Anchored putters banned from 2016
Golf’s ruling bodies announced on Tuesday that anchored putters will be banned from the start of 2016.
The putters have been in the spotlight since being used by a clutch of players to win major championships recently, with the latest being Adam Scott, who used a broom-handle putter to win the Masters at Augusta in April.
The ruling bodies which took the decision under Rule 14-1b of the Rules of Golf were the St Andrews-based Royal and Ancient Golf Club (R&A) and the United States Golf Association (USGA).
Last November, the two bodies proposed banning such putting strokes, which involve fixing the handle of the putter to a point on the body — usually the stomach or chest — from January 1, 2016.
But they allowed a three-month period for comments to be made and there was strong opposition from the USPGA Tour, the PGA of America, as well as some players. That raised the spectre of a damaging division in golf with different rules being applied on different continents.
Explaining the decision to go ahead with the ban, the chief executive of The R&A, Peter Dawson, said: “We took a great deal of time to consider this issue and received a variety of contributions from individuals and organisations at all levels of the game.
Tiger wants PGA anchored putting ban even earlier World number one Tiger Woods wants the US PGA Tour to enact a ban on anchored putting “as soon as possible” if golf’s governing bodies impose a ban on the stroke on Tuesday.
“I hope they go with the ban,” Woods said of Tuesday’s decision. “Anchoring should not be a part of the game. It should be mandatory to have to swing all 14 clubs.
“And as far as the PGA Tour, I hope they do (ban) it as soon as possible to be honest with you. I’ve always said that. I’ve always felt that golf you should have to control your nerves and swing all 14 clubs, not just 13.”
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